Door or shutter.



H. T. MOODY. DOOR 0R SHUTTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR.22,1912.

Lgpa atented Feb.11,1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. T. MOODY.

DOOR OR SHUTTER.

APYLIGATION FILED MAR.22,1912y Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

Lemme.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H. T. MODY. DOOR OR SHUTTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR.z2,1912.

Lwg marked Feb. 11, 1913.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4,

`State of Massachusetts, have invented a new new turn raras HENRY T. MOODY, OF NEXVBURYORT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO VCTOR MANU- FACTURING' COMPNY, @E NEVLBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

:DOSE 0R SHUTTER.

Application filed 'March 22,

To all whom la' coma/'n Be it known that L HENRY T. Newburyport, in the county oi and useful Improvement in Doors er Shutters, of Which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accoinpaW ng forming a, part of this sin licatioin l.. .ilaining its nature. 1

My invention re in doors or shutters arrangement. n'laerebv may be breng' position in of The essential. object of provide such ty Will not interto.V or closing of ie door; one, in o a ivortls, that will become operative only in caso et fire and will etet no inlnence 'upon the door under no nial circun ftanccs, 'o that the door may be lett in any open position as occasion may require.

l have shown the automatic closure eoniprising the essential. feature of iny invenf tion as applied to double. A...ilding do rs to utters Which it is espeoiailv applicable. eustomary in suon doors that: the eiilgcs position. Fig. 2 is the saine as Fig. il. c.\'.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

automatic closure et' the doors in case olE .,ire are shown in an operative or re eased position. Fig. 3 shows in enlarged elcvaj tion astructural part shown in Fig. l, andto Which special reference will hereiiu'rter be made. Fig. f-'l is a side elevation oi' the Fig, 5 is a section taken on the line 5--5 ot' Fig. 3, hir. (i is essentially a plan of the device which l eti'ects the pro'j'icr successive closingoit the l double folding doors. Fig. 7 is an enlarged l Patented Rieti. 11i, 1913.

1912. Serial No. 685,417.

plan of a part of such device, and Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the part shown in Itiig. T.

in the drawings t-l represents double folding doors. t

Q represents the Wall surrounding the doors and which for present purposes includes also the casing in which the doors are. f

lecuredto each door at a point near the top edge thereof and preferably near the trent edge ot the door is a bracket 3. This brac ret projects outwardly and upwardly to a point above the top edge of the door. Connectine` with this bracket is a chain 4.-

which renders over pulleys 5 and G and bears upon its end an overl'ntlancing,` Weight 7. (it these pulleys the pulley 5 is secured to the door casing or wall at a point just above thc door andprcterably just adjacent the bracket 3 secured to it. The pulley G is mounted upon the shelf 8 of a bracket 9 seein-ed to the wali beyond the rear side of the door and preferably at a. point about in line with the top cdgg'e thereof. The chain et after passing' over the pulley (i connects with the weight by passingthrough an ojieninj;l in the shelf oi the bracket.

The relative disposition and arrangement oit the parts thus t'ar described is such that the weight 7 will act through vthe chain 4; to draw the door which it controls to a closed position. 'in the nornlal arrangenionts ol the parts, however, the weight 7 is maintained `in a raised position adjacent; the body ot the bracket t) just beneath .the shelf fw. in such place the weight is positioned and centralized relatively to the bracket hy means olb a pin l() which extends upn'ari'lly through its shell.' 8. (ln the rear side oi the weight is a headed pin or screw ll which, when the weighty is raised to its elevated position as aforesaid, slides into the toi-hed end l2' olE the bracket. ily these @nouns the weight is loosely retained as against lateral displarcnu'nt on the bracket hut so that it niay tall or drop in a truc rertical direction. flfhc weight is inaintaineiil in its vraised or elevated position as aforesaid in tl e l'ollonfmn` manner: lii'otally secured to the face ot' the bracket, fl between it and the weight when in its raised posi' tion Vis a latch This latch is a' lever pi'ovided with a power arm t4 and right and lett work arras When the latch is turned llt) i to an engaging posit-ion one or the other of these 'arms .15 (depending as the latch and the weight which it acts to retain are atthe leftor the right of the door) draws under one or the other of pins 16 which project from the rear side of the weight, the latch turns acting to support the weight.

The latch is held in its engaging position supporting the weight by means of a flexible connection or vchain 17 having in it a thermostatic device 18, usually consisting of a fusible link which breaks in case of fire. The connection 17 may run to any place or part of the building in which 'the door is located and where it is desired to set the fusible link. Where double folding doors `are controlled as shown then' of course the .nect with the fusible link 18 held xed by a cord or chain piece 20, common to both main connections and secured to the casing just above the doors.

When the overbalancing weight 7 is held in its inoperative raised position as above described slack of course will be formed in the chain 4 bearing the weight. This slack is taken up between the bracket 3 to which the inner end of the chain is secured and the pulley 5 over which the chain iirst renders, by means of a loop` 21 formed in the cha-in. The means employed for taking up the slack is by a takeup consisting of a chain or flexible connection 22 which is passed through the loop 21. @ne end ofthe take-up 22 is secured to the overbalancing weight- 7. The other end ofthis take-up is provided with a ring 28 which is slipped over thepin 10 which projects upwardly from the upper end of the weight and through the shelf S, the ring being held by the pin and resting on the shelf. VViththe parts thus arranged, with the weight held in a raised position, it will be observed that the parts exert no influence whatever' upon the door to close it so that the door may be,

left in any open position as desired. The only effect will be that when the door is opened the portion 24 of the chain et which forms that part of the loop in the chain which is secured to the door. will turn with it, the loop having preferably suchentension that the end of thc loop will be in substantial alinemcnt with the axis on which the door turns. The operati on of the parts, however, in of tire when the door is open, is as follows: Assuming that the heat :nosaeio has fused and broken the link 18, thereupon the connection or chain 17 is released which in turn no longer acts to hold the latch 13 in its engaging position for supporting the weight. rlhereupon the weight will fall and draw away from the latch, causing the latch to turn out of engagement with the pin 16 of the weight. As the weight continues to fall the ring 23 on the end of the take-up 22 will. lbe drawn ofi1 from the end of the pin 10 by which it is held and the take-up will be drawn through the loop in the chain 4: releasingl it, when the chain freed will through the influence of the overbalancing weight act to draw the door to a closed position.

In order that the weight may not break away from the end of the chain when it is abruptly let fall I prefer to provide the l weight with a compression spring 25 as 85 shown in Fig., 5 with which the end of the chain connects. The upper end of this Spring bears against a shoulder 26 formed within the weight. The chain 4 passes through the weight and through the core 90y of the spring and is secured to the lower end of the spring with the effect that as the weight falls t-he spring will be compressed a-nd act as a buffer to the weight, thereby breaking the abrupt fall of the weight and eliminating the danger of its breaking the chain.

The door-closing `device or devices above described is illustrated as applied to double swinging doors which have overlapping inner edge portions as is customary in such doors and which'accordingly require that the doors should close in proper sequence inasmuch as the automat-ic closure before described would release both doors to close at the saine time in case of lire. It is accord- 10'5 ingly necessary to provide some means by y which the doors may be automatically` controlled to close in proper sequence, and to this means reference will now be'lnade. 4

Secured to the wall or casing in which the doors are set, just above and adjacent the front edge of the right hand door as' shown, cr the one which must close first, is a bracket 27.. Pivotally secured to this bracket at the point 28 to turn on a vertical. axis is an 115 angular lever Q9 having arms 30 and 31, respectively. Of these arms the arm 30v extends laterally alongside .the casing while the arm 31 projects outwardly vtherefrom in an oblique direction. Secured to the top of the left hand door adjacent the front edge thereof and projecting above the upper edge of this door is a stop 3Q. The size and arrangement of the lever Q9 with respect to l this stop is such thatI its arm 31 will engage 125 the stop 82 and prevent a full closure of the left hand door., that is, until the lever and arm 31 thereof'is moved into a lisengaging position when it will no longer engage the stop and the left i'ianddoor will he per- 13C by means of a compression spring 33I socketed within the arm and bearingS aga-inst the adjacent wall or casing, the ten- Asion oit' the spring tending to normally turn the lever and hold the arm 31 thereof in a position to engage the stop as aforesaidl This position is defined by the inner end o the arm 30 at the point '34 bearing against- -the wall or casing when the lever has been vturned by the spring to a position where the arm 3l thereof will properly engage the stop, and which is the normal position oi" the lever. Secured to the right hand' door as shown and projecting` upwardly beyond the upper edge thereof is an arm This arm is so positioned relatively to the arm 30 of the' lever Q9 that as the right hand door is moved to a closed position and jnst prior to its full closure the arm 35 will engage the end of the arm 30 of the lever 29, compressing the spring 33 and turning the lever into adisengaging position or one in which the arm 3l of the .lever will be moved into a position where it will no longer engage the stop 32 on the lefthand door, so permitting this door to close. 'lt will accordingly be seen that-although both doors be simultaneously released to close in case of iire,yet in no event can the doors interfere with one another daring their closing, but must vclose in proper sequence, for fore the left hand door can assume a closed position the right hand door mustcbe passed by the left hand door 'to a substantially closed position when the left hand doors-vill be released to close after it.

Having thus fully described my invern tion, claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent oi' the United States:m i L'The combination with a movable ydoo or shutter, of an overbalancing` weight, flexible connection bearingV said weight and connecting with said door or shutter,` .means for supporting and guiding said flexible connection whereby said weight let fall from a raised position may close said door or shutter and whereby also slack may be formed in said flexible connection when said weight is in a raised position irrespcctive ot' the open or closed position of said door or shutter, a device `itor holding; said vweight in a raised position, a releasabie device for taking up and holding` the slack in said flexible connection when said weight is maintained in a raised position, and means whereby said devices may be simultaneously released. j

2. The combinationwith a movable door or shutter, of an overloalancing;` weight, a iiexible connection bearing said we connecting with said door or shutter.

for supporting and guiding said iexiblc con-- nection whereby said weight let fail from a raised position may close said door or shutter and whereby also slack may be formed in said flexible connection when said weight is in a raised position irrespective of the open or closed position of said door or shutter, a releasable means supporting said weight in a raised position, and means releasable upon the fall oit' said Weight for taking up and holding slack therein -when said weight is maintained in a raised position.

3. The combination with a movable door or shutter, of an overbalancing Weight7 a. flexible connection bearing' said Weight and conneetinfgY with said door or shutter, means for supporting and guiding said flexible connection whereby said weight let fall from a raised position may close said door or shutter and whereby also slack may be formed in said flexible connection when said' Weight is in al raised position irrespective of the open or closed position of said door or shutter, said means comprising in part a pulley arranged at a point adjacent the front edge of said door when in a closed position and above said door, a device for holding' said weight in a raised position, a device for taking up and holding the slack in said flexible connection between said door and said pulley when said weight is maintained ,in a raised position', and means for control-l ling' said devices whereby they may be si multaneously released. Y

4. The combination with a movable door or shutter, of an overbalancing' weight, a

,flexible connection bearing` said weight and connecting with said door or shutter, mea-ns dior supporting and guidingr said flexible connection whereby said weight let fall from a raised position may. close said door or shutter and whereby also slack may be formed in said flexible connection when said weight is in a raised position virrespective of the open or closed position of said door or shutter, said means comprising' in part a pulley arranged adjacent the front edge of said door and above said door when the same is in a closed position, a releasable device for maintaining' said weight in a raised position, a connection comprising' in part a thcrnoostatic link and connecting' with said device for maintaining` the same in an operativeposition to support. said weifg'ht,v and means for takingl np the slack in said flexible connection bet-Ween said door and said pulley when said weight is maintained in a raised position, said means connectirngr with said weight whereby it may become released upon the t'all thereof.

The combination with a movable door or shatter of an arm secured thereto adjacent the front edge ot said door and extending' upwardly therefrom above the top ede'c thereof, an overbalaneiniiT weight, a iiexible l connection secured at one end to said weight holding' said lever in its engaging position,

and. at theother end to said arm, pulleys over Which said flexible connection runs, one of said pulleys being arranged adjacent said arm and another of said pulleys above said Weight whereby said weight may hang pendant therefrom, a lever pivotally arranged to engage said Weight and hold the saine in a raised position, a releasable connection for and means connecting With said iiexible connection for taking up and holdinga the slack therein between said arln and said pulley adjacent thereto when said weight is maintained in its raised position, said means being` adapted to become si'inultaneously released with said Weight.

6. The combination with double folding doors and casing,` therefor, of a lever pivotally secured to said casingv above said doors and adjacent tllefiont Ledges thereof, the same beine; pivotally arranged to turn upon a vertical axis, the said lever having arins reversely arranged to extend alongside said casing, one of which arms is adapted to engage said casing when said lever has'been turned to an engaging position and thence extend obliquely therefrom, a stop carried by one of said doors'adapted and arranged to the end that the obliquely extending arm of said lever may engage said stop and prevent the closing,` of said door when said lever is maintained in its saidvengaging position, a tension device for normally maintain- ,ing said lever in its engaging position and van arm carried by the other of said doors adapted to engage said lever as Said other door is closed and move said lever into a disengaging position With respect to said stop. l

HENRY T. MOGDY.

llitnesses HAROLD A. Basse, CHARLns E. HoUolrroN. 

